


Snippets at the Cafe

by invisible_aliens



Series: Carry On Countdown 2018 [19]
Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Coffee Shops, Getting Together, M/M, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-19 10:52:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17000208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/invisible_aliens/pseuds/invisible_aliens
Summary: Sometimes Watford students head down to the nearby cafe. One of the people work there listens into their conversation. They don't always quite make sense.Written for the Carry On Countdown 2018, Day 19: Coffee Shop AU





	Snippets at the Cafe

**Author's Note:**

> I know this isn't quite what is usually meant by 'Coffee Shop AU' but honestly I'm not a big Normal AU fan.

Sometimes you just need to get away from in all. Take a moment for yourself. Maybe go to a coffee shop.

“It's not a real town unless it has a coffee shop or two,” Jess’ mother had always said.

By that definition, Poserly was a town, but Jess thought had was stretching it a bit. The only regular customers were from that weird school down the road. Every day, just before lunch, one of the teachers would come down and order a dozen various coffees. Some of them dressed rather oddly, in clothes that seemed to Jess rather old-fashioned.

And then there were the students. Jess was sure the students weren't supposed to come down here, judging by how they always avoided the teachers, but she always served them anyway. Customers were customers, whoever they were.

One of the most regular customers was a serious looking boy, who must have been in one of the later years. She knew from his takeaways that his name was Baz. She tried to be friendly, and while he wasn't exactly unfriendly, he didn't want to interact with her more than he had to. Jess thought he seemed stressed, and more so than an average high school student.

She had decided they must be overworked at Watford, because nearly all the students looked permanently on edge, like they had the weight of the world in their shoulders.

 

A pair of students entered and came up to the counter to order. (Penny and Simon, she was pretty sure. She was good at recognising customers and remembering their names.)

“What do you want?” Penny asked Simon.

“A scone?” answered Simon hopefully.

“Absolutely not! You've already had three today at school!”

She turned towards Jess, who was ready to take their order. “We'll have two hot chocolates, please.”

As they went to sit down, Simon tugged on Penny's top, and pointed over to where Baz was sitting, slouched over his coffee.

“Don't worry about him,” said Penny, rolling her eyes. "He's not meant to be here either.”

Simon scowled over at Baz.

“Maybe he knew we were coming and it's a trap!”

“Don't be ridiculous! If he really wanted to trap you, he'd just do in your room.”

“He couldn't, because of the Anathema.”

“He'd corner you after class, then. Stick his fangs in your throat.”

Jess had no idea what they were talking about, but it wasn't even the weirdest conversation she'd heard while working in the cafe. Although she'd gotten the impression that Simon and Baz didn't get along. Which seemed sad, given how nice they both seemed.

 

When she went to deliver the hot chocolates, she tried to overhear more of their conversation. But now they were talking about a much more normal high school topic: girlfriends.

“I don't understand why Agatha broke up with me,” said Simon. “We were together for so long!”

“That doesn't mean anything,” said Penny, nodding in thanks as Jess put the hot chocolates down. “It wasn't working out. I think you need to move on. You've got plenty of other things to worry about.”

Jess had moved too far away to hear any more.

 

She was busy working at the counter when she heard a commotion. She looked up, and saw Baz and Simon angrily standing in front of one another in front of the door.

“It was because of you, wasn't it?” shouted Simon. “Agatha wanted you, and it's all part of your plot! Why are you always plotting?”

Baz glanced around, embarrassed. “I'm not always plotting. And I had nothing to do with Agatha breaking up with you.”

The noise had brought the manager out. “What's going on?” he asked.

“Sorry,” said Penny, grabbing Simon's arm, “we're just going.”

The three of them hurried out of the cafe.

 

A few days later, Penny came back, but with a blonde girl Jess didn't know.

“I thought he'd understand why I broke up with him! It just wasn't working out,” said the blonde girl.

Penny sighed. “You know what Simon's like. He confronted Baz about it the other day, as if it were his fault. And even if you did want to date Baz, that would be your choice!”

Jess could see why Simon wanted to date Agatha. She was pretty, and seemed to radiate calmness. Hell, Jess would date her.

“I don't want to date Baz either,” said Agatha. “That's just Simon's weird obsession about Baz and his supposed plotting.”

Jess remembered Simon mentioning ‘plotting’ the other day. It seemed like a rather… extreme word to use in relation to high school shenanigans.

“He talks about Baz way too much! I know they're on opposite sides of a war, but they need to tone it down a bit,” said Penny.

 _A war_? Jess was more confused than ever. Maybe she should tell the authorities? But what would she tell them? Snippets of overhead conversation between random teenagers?

Maybe they meant some other kind of war, like a prank war, or some sort of sporting rivalry.

 

So after hearing about how much Simon and Baz hate each other, and even seeing them clash in the cafe, she almost dropped the plates she was carrying when she saw them walk into together.

_Smiling._

And _holding hands_.

“Are you sure they'll let the two of in there at the same time again?” asked Simon nervously.

Baz snorted. “It's going to fine.”

And it was. Jess wasn't going to turn customers away if they weren't causing a problem, even if they had a history of causing trouble.

She watched them giggle over the menu, and share a quick kiss before they say down. She barely knew anything about them, but somehow it didn't surprise her. Simon's obsession must have been a crush. And now Simon and Agatha had broken up, these two now had a chance to be together.

They made a good couple, she thought. Relaxed and comfortable with each other, like they knew each other so well nothing could surprise them about the other.

She saw them huddle in the corner when one of the teachers came in to order takeaways, and laugh about it afterwards.

It was first time she had seen Watford students be properly happy, not worrying about the state of the world.

For the first time, she saw them at peace.


End file.
